Article October 10, 1988 Issue

Voting: look on the heart

The vitality and power of our prayers about an election will leaven human thought and provide a healing impetus that will motivate others.

Gloria Elaine Marlatt

The Grand Miracle,

Have you ever found yourself in a quandary while trying to decide whom to vote for or select in an election? Perhaps you have been grappling with the pros and cons of several election campaigns. Perhaps reading all the candidates' views has made the choice more confusing than enlightening!

There is a way to lift the feeling of confusion, burden, and responsibility—we can pray. Through prayer we can begin to see the moral and spiritual qualities that are needed in the particular office we are voting for—and the candidate who best expresses these qualities. The Bible tells us that when Moses was chosen by God to lead the children of Israel, his leadership qualities were not immediately apparent. He spoke of his own reluctance and unworthiness. Yet it was not a humanly charismatic personality but Moses' realization, to some degree, of his spiritual individuality that made him acceptable for his God-appointed role. God-derived qualities, among which were meekness, humility, and a reverence for God and His law, made Moses worthy to guide the children of Israel.

When Samuel was looking at one of Jesse's sons to see if this was the one he was to anoint king, God told the prophet, "Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart."^{I Sam. 16:7.}

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